Return to the Darkness
by half-a-recess
Summary: An evil power has reawakened and is seeking revenge upon the inhabitants of Hyrule.  Will a new hero of courage arise in time to defeat this ultimate foe, or will the fate of Hyrule be left in the hands of the Spirit Detectives? T lang/fantasy violence
1. On the Edge of Adventure

**Hey, listen! (All you Zelda fans just cringed and you know it!) This is a Yu Yu Hakusho/Legend of Zelda crossover that I've been very tempted to write for a long time now. I just haven't had the time really… I don't think there will necessarily be any important pairings seeing as romance is not the focus of this story. Even if you don't know Zelda, you'll probably be able to read this and have a good time I hope. If you do know Zelda, I think you'll enjoy it! **

**WARNINGS: This will only appear in the first chapter. All other warnings will refer you back to this one. This story is rated T because the characters of Yu Yu Hakusho's Spirit Detectives consist of two street punks, a 1000 plus-year-old spirit fox, and a harshly-raised ex-convict. Therefore, to keep them in character, especially with the manga translations I've read, "dammit" and "fuck" will appear more often than kids below a certain age should view. Also, because of the nature of their jobs, these characters will inevitably engage in rather violent and bloody combat. There, you have been WARNED, so it is the responsibility of the reader or the reader's guardian to determine whether or not this is appropriate to view. **

**DISCLAIMER: This will only appear in the first chapter. All other chapters will refer to the disclaimer mentioned here. Ahem… I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Legend of Zelda, nor do I make any profit from using them and their concepts in this story. Sadly…**

**CHAPTER 1: On the Edge of Adventure**

**OoOo**

That day began like any other day for our spirit detectives. Kurama was at school like the good student that he was. Kuwabara was at school working on a test that he had studied very hard for the night before. Yusuke was running his ramen stand and hoping that someone would approach him with a "special order" just so that he would get some excitement. Hiei was… somewhere in one of the two worlds.

The day ended better than it began. Kurama actually learned something new for once. Kuwabara answered every question and felt that his studying had paid off. Yusuke got a tip-off from a demon who had stopped by his stand about a troublemaker in Ningenkai which fed Yusuke's need for adventure when he ran off to dispose of it. Hiei was still absent, but probably happy that no one was bothering him. This is why it was a surprise to all four of them when each were visited by a very frazzled blue-haired ferry-girl and told to meet at Gankai's temple ASAP.

Genkai, of course, was not so pleased to have such sudden company. She had been interrupted in the final battle of one of her many video games for a meeting she felt she had no need to attend. So, there they were waiting for whatever news Botan would tell them, Kurama seated with perfect posture, Kuwabara doting over Yukina, Yusuke munching rudely on the refreshments Yukina had brought out, and Hiei lazing on the windowsill. They all carefully ignored the dangerous vibes coming from a certain grumpy old lady who was glancing towards the other room where her game was on pause.

Through the doorway rushed Botan as she hurriedly shut the door and locked it before turning to address the group.

"I'm so sorry to call an unexpected meeting like this"—Genkai snorted—"especially since none of you are technically detectives anymore, but it couldn't be avoided!"

"So what stupid mistake did Spirit World make this time?" Yusuke grinned despite his tone of voice.

"Oh, it's awful!" Botan threw her hands in the air. "There has been a very serious disturbance in the Makai! A great evil that was locked away has emerged again and is seeking revenge!"

Kuwabara looked thoughtfully at the floor. "I thought Spirit World wasn't supposed to interfere with demon affairs anymore."

"Yes, but if this being obtains enough power in the Demon World, he will eventually target the Spirit World and become unstoppable!" Botan explained.

"Okay, I know I've heard that one before," Yusuke chuckled lightheartedly, excitement bubbling under his words at the thought of a challenge.

"I thought you had finally found new Spirit Detectives," Kurama asked. He was in the middle of finals week, and he did not want to ask permission to take them early and come up with an explanation of why that his teachers would buy.

Botan shook her head, "They are nowhere near strong enough to defeat this level of evil even with their power combined. They would be slaughtered."

"And how strong are they exactly?" Hiei asked, finally opening his eyes. Like Yusuke, he had been itching for a good fight.

"They are about as strong as Yusuke was after he fought at the Dark Tournament," the ferry-girl replied with a sigh. They were very strong for humans, but their power was simply not enough.

Yusuke sat up straight with a wide grin. "So who are we fighting and when?"

"Don't take this so lightly Yusuke," Botan warned. "This same power nearly destroyed all of demon world the last time that it awakened."

The groups' eyes widened.

"Do you know that ocean that surrounds Makai?" she asked. They nodded. It was the _only_ ocean in Makai, after all. Makai was a lot like Pangaea, a block of land with a large ocean which was separated by water demons into different territories. "There wasn't an ocean originally when Makai was created. Large lakes, yes, but the ocean was created by this evil power when it was released once years and years ago."

Everyone gaped. Kurama gasped; Kuwabara's eyes bugged out; Yusuke dropped his chopsticks; and Hiei actually sat up on the sill, resting his feet on the floor. Genkai even momentarily forgot about her paused game.

Now that she had their full attention, Botan continued, "I know that you no longer work for Spirit World, but you are the only ones that are powerful enough to stand up to this power. If it spreads it will gain control of all three worlds and all will fall into chaos."

"What do we need to do?" Yusuke said, his eyes glinting now with seriousness and determination.

Botan blinked in surprise. Although she was relieved that they would accept this challenge so willingly, she could not help but worry. It appeared that Yusuke didn't really comprehend the magnitude of this power.

"Yeah, we won't let you down!" Kuwabara cheered.

"Fool, Makai is no place for a human," Hiei muttered.

Kuwabara puffed up in anger. "Hey, I was at the last demon tournament, wasn't I? I held my own! I should be able to come!"

Hiei was about to retort when Kurama spoke up. "He has a point, Hiei. Kuwabara made it past the elimination round and had a very impressive fight in the next round even if he lost."

Hiei rolled his eyes but said no more, and Kuwabara grinned triumphantly.

"I will give you this map"—Botan pulled out a rolled up map out of seemingly nowhere—"that will guide you to your destination. I have to drop you off at the borders of this domain because Spirit World is absolutely _forbidden_ to enter into this territory."

"And why's that may I ask," Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

Botan sighed and began, "It's a long story about goddesses and a—"

"Never mind, I'm already bored," Yusuke interrupted with a wave of his hand. "So when do we leave?"

"As soon as possible," Botan told him, a little annoyed that he wouldn't let her tell the story.

"I'm ready, what about you guys?" Yusuke asked.

Hiei and Kuwabara nodded, but Kurama spoke up. "I would like at least two days to take the rest of my finals if that would be possible."

Yusuke laughed. "Ha! The world is at stake, and you're still worrying about grades!"

"Not all of us are so talented at making ramen, Yusuke," Kurama smiled. "Besides, professional schools are very competitive."

Yusuke waved off the fox's explanation. If Kurama thought his tests were that important, he would never be convinced otherwise. "Yeah whatever. Pick us up in three days then."

Botan nodded and flew off to Spirit World to inform Koenma of the meeting's outcome.

Yusuke paused and his eyes widened at a sudden realization. "Hey, she never told us where the hell we're going!"

"She gave us a map, you idiot!" Hiei snapped, snatching the rolled parchment that lay forgotten at Yusuke's side and unrolling it.

"Oh yeah," Yusuke said sheepishly.

Kuwabara leaned in to read over Hiei's shoulder at the risk of getting burned. "So what's it say?"

"Hyrule?" Kurama questioned.

"I've never heard of Hyrule," Yusuke said thoughtfully.

"The people of Hyrule mostly keep to themselves," Kurama explained. "That's why I'm so surprised that the peace is being broken there of all places."

"If they're in a period of unrest, the prices of goods are going to rise. Damn elves." Hiei muttered more to himself than the others.

"There are elves in Makai?" Kuwabara asked.

"They're not really elves, Kuwabara," Kurama explained. "True, they have long, pointed ears and are traditionally magic-users, but it's not like in Lord of the Rings where they live indefinitely."

"That's still cool though! We're getting to deal with stuff that I read about in story books," the carrot-top said wistfully.

Hiei snorted. "Ridiculous."

"What's got your panties all in a wad, shrimpy?" Kuwabara teased, poking Hiei's shoulder. One must wonder where he gets such faith that the short demon would not actually cut off his hand.

Hiei glared in response, so Kurama took it upon himself to answer. "Hyrule is where Hiei gets the materials for his clothes."

Hiei's glare was immediately redirected to the fox now.

Yusuke couldn't help but laugh. "Why specifically from there? I didn't know you were into fashion."

It was Yusuke's turn to be stared at with fiery fury. Kurama answered again with the hint of a wicked smile, "It's what his pants and cloak are made of so they won't burn off when he uses fire."

Both Yusuke and Kuwabara were now dying with fits of laughter while Hiei sat between them silently fuming and suddenly trying to be interested in the map.

"And _what… _exactly… are they made of?" Yusuke finally gasped in between giggles.

"Bombchu wool," Kurama answered matter-of-factly. One had to wonder whether or not Kurama had gotten this information from a willing Hiei or not.

"What's a bombchu?" Kuwabara asked.

"It's a lot like a large rat that's tail acts as a fuse. They self-combust when they feel threatened but reform immediately afterwards. Their fur is used to make material that is impervious to fire," Kurama told him. "I'll show you one when we get there if we have time."

Hiei cleared his throat, bringing the attention back to the map.

"Hey, I thought she said that she marked our destination!" Yusuke complained. In fact, the destination was not marked at all.

"We'll just have to ask her when she comes to pick us up in three days," Kurama suggested.

"If not we can always ask the locals if they've seen any super-powerful beings of evil running around lately," Yusuke said.

They jumped at the sound of Genkai's voice. "I'm going to finish this game, and all of you had better be gone by the time I'm done!"

Yusuke sighed, taking the map back from Hiei. "Well, that's our cue. See you guys later."

"Aw! Now I've gotta take my tests ahead of time!" Kuwabara complained. "Kurama, you'll help me study right?"

Kurama nodded and left down the steps. "I have already studied for mine, so I will do what I can."

Hiei left without a word in a swish of black.

And so began their adventure…

**OoOo**

**Word Count: 1,714**

**So, did you all enjoy it? Yes? No? Is it too weird? I'm trying to make this story work without being too cheesy. This story is just for fun. I want to add some more (at least a sequel) to One in a Hundred, but while I'm planning/writing that I'll work on this. The chapters may not be as long as those of my other stories, but like I said, this story is just for fun. I also try to add some humor to my stories without making anyone too OOC, so tell me if you think something is too awkward. If I don't try to lighten the mood, my stories end up being really doom and gloom. I plan to see this story through to the end even if its updates might not be very regular. **

**Thanks for reading! Next Chapter: The Kind-of-not-really-rehired Spirit Detectives Begin their Journey in "Tools of the Trade". **

**Think these titles sound familiar? If you can find out where I'm getting them from, you get special recognition! I also plan to write a humor called "Hiei of Time", so watch for that one. **


	2. Tools of the Trade

**Want a particular Zelda item or character to make an appearance? Let me know and I'll consider it!**

**Kuwabara is temporarily out of character at one point for a **_**reason**_**. It will be explained in the next chapter. **

**WARNINGS: See chapter 1.**

**DISCLAIMER: See chapter 1.**

**OoOo**

**Chapter 2: Tools of the Trade**

The morning sun peeked through the drifting clouds floating over a lush green field. The grass swayed gently in the wind, and in the distance a cock crowed purposefully. A songbird fluttered to the ground to bathe in the morning dew and begin its hunt for insects and worms. However, its plan was ruined only moments later when a group of four men landed nearby with a rather loud thump. The bird let out a surprised chirp and flitted away from the supposed danger.

"Why do you always drop us like that?" Yusuke complained. He had been shaken awake much too early that morning to tolerate a loop-de-loop, a corkscrew turn and a nosedive in any vehicle, much less one that he had a hard time sitting on steadily.

"Well I did warn you that the ride would be rougher than normal," Botan sniffed. Yusuke had been very hard to wake that morning, and this was her revenge.

Kurama stood and dusted himself off far more gracefully than an ordinary person could accomplish. "All that aside, I believe there are a few things you needed to tell us before we head off on our journey."

"Oh, yes!" Botan tapped her head as if she actually had to think about what she needed to tell them all. "You'll need these."

Out of nowhere popped a large sack that she immediately reached into to hand out its contents. First came four articles of clothing. Green for Yusuke (because he wouldn't wear anything else), blue for Kuwabara (if Yusuke kept his preferred color, then Kazuma Kuwabara would keep his), yellow for Kurama (because so many colors clashed with his hair), and black for Hiei (obviously). All four men held up the clothing with about the same expression of disbelief.

"You want us to wear…" Kuwabara trailed off.

"A _dress?_" Yusuke finished incredulously.

"Actually it's called a tunic, Yusuke, and men wear this here," Botan tried, but Yusuke had already dug through the pile to reveal matching belts and—

"What the hell? Are these _tights_?" Yusuke demanded, waving the offending legged things in the air.

"No," Botan sniffed. "They're stockings. They're much thicker than tights…"

"You're sure this isn't some sick joke that Koenma is going to blackmail us with later?" Kuwabara asked suspiciously.

"Of course not!" Botan seethed. "This is a very serious matter, and in order to do your job, you have to blend in with the culture."

"And the men of the culture wear dresses?" Yusuke asked flatly.

"Tunics," the girl said.

"With tights," he added.

"Stockings!" Botan heatedly corrected.

"Do we have footwear to go with these?" Kurama sighed. He was already mistaken for a girl enough without running around in an outfit like this.

"Yes," Botan grumbled, digging in the bag once again and tossing out boots of different sizes in no particular order.

Once everyone was dressed in their new attire, after much arguing of course about whether not Botan was peeking, Botan began to explain the basics to them.

"Once you cross the boundary into Hyrule you will no longer be able to use your Reiki or Youki," she said matter-of-factly. "Instead you will rely on your magic energy."

"We can do magic?" Kuwabara asked excitedly.

Botan nodded. "You will be able to feel your Magic Energy just as you would Spirit Energy. The difference is that it won't harm you to run out of magic; it'll just cause an inconvenience. It can be replenished by waiting around for it to rebuild or by drinking a potion of some sort. Because you will not be able to use your regular powers, you will be given weapons to use instead."

With that, she dumped the rest of the contents of the bag on the ground with a loud crash. Everyone stared for a few seconds, not really sure of what to do. Botan picked up the first item and handed it to Yusuke—a bow and quiver. He held the curious (and primitive in his opinion) instrument in his hands. It looked really fancy with the intricate metalwork lining the ends of the wood and mixed in with the leather of the quiver.

"Since your main weapon is your Reigun, Yusuke, we thought this—the Hero's Bow that is—would be appropriate," she explained.

"Why couldn't I have a real gun instead of this piece of junk?" he muttered.

"Would you rather be given a slingshot?" the blue-haired reaper countered threateningly. Yusuke shut up after that.

She turned to Kuwabara next, heaving a large tool out of the pile. "To you, Kuwabara, I give the Giant's Hammer."

Kuwabara eagerly accepted his gift. The others were a little worried that he would very soon get into mischief with that thing. It was no wonder the hammer had been given to Kuwabara seeing as his size would make it easiest for him to wield. He bounced it a little, testing its weight. It was much like a very pretty sledge hammer with a pick on the reverse side for effectiveness in battle.

While Kuwabara admired his weapon and Yusuke glowered at his, Botan pulled another item out. "Kurama, I think you will find most useful the Clawshot. You'll figure out how to use it, I'm sure."

The Clawshot was certainly… different. Kurama didn't know quite what to make of it. One end was a structure with hinged claws that would open like flower petals, and the other was obviously a place for his hand which had a trigger. Kurama decided that since it was definitely a _weapon_, he would wait to test out its abilities until they were in a better area.

Kurama studied the strange device turning it over and over in his hands while Botan nervously moved on to Hiei. "To you, Hiei, I give… Well, it was hard to decide what to give to you, you see because…"

"Get on with it woman!" the fire demon snapped as Botan 'eek'-ed and jumped back a little.

Very quickly she said, "The Kokiri Sword!"

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "You've _got_ to be joking. Give me something else."

"Oh, just try it out!" Botan pleaded.

"I'm not taking that piece of junk when you give everyone else something useful!" he protested.

"It's not junk!" Botan said.

"It's poorly balanced and ill-crafted!" Hiei fumed.

"What's wrong with the sword? It looks fine to me," Kuwabara scratched his head in confusion.

"Of course _you_ wouldn't see anything wrong with it!" Hiei snarled. "It was made by children!"

Yusuke burst into uproarious laughter at that.

"But it's just your size!" Botan reasoned desperately. Apparently giving Hiei a black tunic would not be enough to convince him to use the sword.

"It's a _toy_!" Hiei growled.

"It's defeated lots of enemies, I'm sure," she said though she knew she was losing.

"I actually agree with Hiei on this one, Botan. It's not fair to give him a sword that's small just because he's small," Kuwabara said. Hiei's eye twitched at being called small, but he did not retort. "If it was made by kids, don't you think it might break when he uses it? You got anything else?"

Botan looked at the ground nervously. "I have a _deku stick_…"

Kurama stepped in. "Botan I know you have another sword in there somewhere, but you fear giving it to Hiei for a reason. Let's see it."

"You promise you won't kill me?" Botan asked uncertainly.

"We'll see," Hiei growled.

"He promises," Yusuke answered, very interested in what could be worse than the Kokiri Sword.

"I'm giving you…" There was a dramatic pause as Botan pulled from the bag another sword, one far fancier than the first, and definitely better-looking than any sword they had seen before. In a very timid whisper Botan said, "The Great Fairy's Sword?"

"The _WHAT?_" Hiei exploded. He would have lunged to strangle the woman had Kurama not restrained him.

While Yusuke and Kuwabara were chuckling in the background and Kurama was holding Hiei away from Botan and trying not to giggle, Botan spoke above the ruckus. "Please just hear me out, Hiei!"

"The _Fairy _sword? Just you wait until I get my hands on you!" Hiei bellowed.

"It was wielded by a hero a long time ago, and there's only one like it! It will become a very powerful sword, and it's possibly the best ever crafted!" Hiei had stopped struggling, but was still very angry. "Just hold it, will you?" she offered it to him.

After much inspection, test strokes and the works, Hiei nodded though his jaw was still tight. It had a girly name, but it was truly a better sword than he had ever held before. Perfectly balanced and lightweight while still able to deal damage without breaking, not to mention that the mystical metal practically sang when it swished through the air. And he could upgrade it. Perhaps in the long run its worth would outweigh the cost. He glared at dumbest and dumbass, who still shared twin grins, before sheathing the weapon across his back.

With a relieved sigh Botan gestured to the last items on the ground.

"Here you will find the rest of your equipment. You all need a shield and an items pouch. Well, that's about it, I think. You can upgrade your weapons, but you'll have to go searching to figure out how to do so. Much of this stuff is out of Spirit World's realm of knowledge. When you've finished this mission just come back here so I can pick you up."

With a wave she launched herself back into the air and zoomed away. The four men stared off after her until she was no more than a black dot in the sky.

"Wait a minute," Yusuke said thoughtfully.

"What's wrong, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked.

"Dammit! I forgot to get her to mark the map!" he yelled.

Kurama chuckled a little beside him.

"What's so funny about that, huh?" Yusuke demanded.

Kurama held up the map that Yusuke had specifically remembered putting in his duffel bag that morning. "I knew you would forget, so while you were looking for your left shoe at Genkai's temple I took it upon myself to ask Botan about the map."

Yusuke blinked, and Kurama handed the map back to him.

Yusuke paused before handing it back, saying, "You know what? How about you keep it... It's probably safer that way."

Kurama nodded in agreement and tucked it safely away in his newly-acquired items pouch, his Clawshot strung to his hip.

"So what does that do, anyway?" Kuwabara asked gesturing to the odd contraption.

Kurama glanced at it curiously. "I don't quite know yet, but I will try it out before we go too far. If my assumptions are correct, I will need to test it in some place that has suitable targets without obstructions. In fact, we should find an area where we can all practice with our weapons, preferably in Hyrule so that we may also get accustomed to the terrain."

Yusuke shrugged. "Whatever you say." Then to Hiei he said with a sly smirk, "How's that _Fairy_ sword treating you, short stuff?"

Instead of replying, Hiei cut down a few trees with one effortless swipe, turning his eyes to glare at Yusuke for stressing the word 'fairy'. Honestly, Yusuke did not know if Hiei's suddenly ready-to-kill-something expression was from the remaining anger of having a girly sword or that Hiei had actually begun to _like_ the thing.

His question was answered a moment later when Hiei asked, "So how do we go about upgrading these things?"

"Well, I assume we have to go questing," Kurama suggested pulling out the map.

"A quest?" Kuwabara asked. "This. Is. So. _Awesome_."

"So where to?" Yusuke asked choosing to ignore Kuwabara.

Kurama smiled and said, "East."

"Let's go then!" Yusuke shouted and began to run off in a direction. He paused when he realized his comrades were not following. He turned back to them and raised a questioning eyebrow.

Kurama hid a laugh behind his hand and pointed in a different direction (towards the rising sun) as Hiei smirked in amusement.

"Oh, _that_ east!" Yusuke said, rubbing the back of his head and walking instead in the direction Kurama had indicated.

"East!" he proclaimed, and their quest began.

**OoOo**

**Word Count: 2,052**

**What did you think? Yes? No? Anything? Thanks to those who reviewed last time! I appreciate it! Yet again, don't expect updates this often all the time. I just so happened to have some time on my hands. Remember, this is supposed to be humorous. The chapters will get more serious as time progresses and the mission becomes more serious. I promise there is actually a plot… We just haven't gotten to it yet. This is not any particular Zelda universe, but you can imagine it a lot like Twilight Princess or Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask. Yes, Link will appear eventually and he plays a big role.**

**Zelda Stuff:**

**Tunic—look up Link from Legend of Zelda in Google and you'll know what I'm talking about. Without the hat though.**

**Giant's Hammer—In Adventure of Link it's the Hammer. In Ocarina of Time it's the Megaton Hammer. In Wind Waker it's the Skull Hammer. In this story, it's the Giant's Hammer.**

**Hero's Bow—In probably most Zelda games I know of. Here're a few… Zelda: Bow. Ocarina of Time: Fairy Bow. Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess: Hero's Bow. Since this last name has seemed to stick the most, I'm using it.**

**Clawshot—I absolutely love this item. Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Wind Waker: Hookshot. Twilight Princess: Clawshot. Wind Waker also has a similar item called the Grappling Hook that I was very tempted to give Kurama, but I decided eventually on the Clawshot.**

**Great Fairy's Sword—For those of you who haven't played Majora's Mask, no I'm not making this up. True, Majora's Mask was really trippy, but it had some awesome weapons and features. When you collect all of the fairy shards for the Great Fairies you get this sword which has the farthest reach and the sharpest blade. I gave it to Hiei for shits and giggles. In this story, the sword, though expertly crafted, is not any more powerful than any other sword. Like our other heroes he has to upgrade his item. **

**No, these aren't the only Zelda games I know, but they are the ones I have played the most and that most people are familiar with it seems. Next Chapter: The Quest really begins and Yusuke and the gang run into someone unexpected in "Friends and Fiends". **

**Review please! (Even if you didn't like it…)**


	3. Rupees and Wallets

**So I realized that in the first chapter I made a spelling error that I tend to make a lot and then overlook. I wrote "bombachu". It's actually "bombchu". Sorry about that. I've changed it, but it was there! We continue on our journey with our heroes!**

**Warnings: See chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1**

**OoOo**

**Chapter 3: Rupees and Wallets**

It was not very long before the now tunic-clad Spirit Detectives happened upon a very great place for training. This clearing in the forest was wide but had plenty of targets for them to aim at. They all immediately began to grow more familiar with their new weapons. The first few swings from Kuwabara's hammer had been clumsy and poorly aimed, but as the hours pressed on the carrot-top began to strike with startling accuracy.

Yusuke was cursing and missing the targets he was aiming at for the first hour and a half, but he eventually got the hang of the instrument. Soon he was experimenting with all sorts of different targets of different sizes and doing moderately well.

Hiei, though it seemed should be nowhere out of his element, was quite sloppy with his sword technique for the first couple of swings. As time went on, he grew accustomed to the sword's light weight and length.

Kurama had probably received the most interesting instrument of all. At first the fox had studied the thing very carefully so as not to harm himself on accident. Then he noticed the sight, no more than a raised bump in the metal, with which the weapon could be aimed. Bracing himself, he aimed the Clawshot at a nearby tree limb and pulled the trigger.

Everyone else turned around as they heard the clinking of chains and Kurama's cry of surprise. However, by the time they had turned, there was no Kurama to be seen. Curiously they ventured over to where their friend had been only moments before.

"Hey, Kurama you okay?" Yusuke called, glancing around for any sign of the fox.

"Yes, I am just fine, Yusuke. Thank you," Kurama's voice replied from above them.

All eyes followed the sound until they found Kurama standing on a branch studying his Clawshot.

"How'd you get up there?" Hiei asked, more than a little annoyed. As it turned out, their speed and strength would be reduced to almost human while in Hyrule. Hiei was short. Hiei had quite a bit of trouble trying to climb trees now.

"I believe I have discovered the purpose of the Clawshot," Kurama replied, aiming the device again at a different tree this time. He pulled the trigger, and the chained claw shot out to grip onto the tree's branch before Kurama was quickly reeled in after it. He caught the branch and pulled himself up.

"That was cool!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"And I'm not sure that's all that it does," Kurama said thoughtfully.

Everyone went back to their training, but no more breakthroughs were made. They eventually took a break to eat the lunch they had packed, or rather what the girls had packed for them.

"So where are we going to get food, Kurama?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama answered, "I haven't been to Hyrule in hundreds of years, so I don't know exactly where we should go to get food. This map isn't quite that detailed."

"There's a village not too far from here where we can buy food, but if you want an inn, you'll have to wait until we reach Castle Town," Hiei told him.

"Do you think you could mark some things on the maps?" Kurama said, holding out the parchment to Hiei.

Hiei stared at the map for a moment before scratching some symbols on the paper with a pen and handing it back to Kurama.

Kurama stared blankly at the page for a few moments. Yusuke and Kuwabara soon peered over his shoulders, curious about the fox's silence.

Kuwabara made an incredulous face before yelling, "Hey, what's with the gibberish, chibi?"

"It's not gibberish, it's Hylian," Hiei said in a deadpan voice.

"Yeah, well don't you think you could help us out and write in Japanese? How are we supposed to read this?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "We're under cover, and it would look suspicious if we were writing a different language than those of Hyrule. Koenma gave us the ability to speak the language, but apparently he didn't give the ability to write it. Hylian is the most common, and it's the only one I know."

Kurama sighed and covered up Kuwabara's retort. "Hiei's right, but I do need to know what these mean."

Hiei pointed them out in order to Kurama who nodded. "This means Forest, and this is the tribal symbol. This one is Castle Town, the Market in Hyrule; it's marked with the royal family's crest. This one is Death Mountain, and here is the symbol of the Goron tribe. There is a village below it that is called Kakariko Village. I never learned the tribal symbol. There is a desert region somewhere, but I've never been there. These are the only areas I frequent for supplies, so I don't know the other areas."

Kurama nodded. "If Hyrule is anything like how I remember it, there will be a water tribe called the Zora somewhere. If I had to guess, I would say it is either in the lake or somewhere along the river. I remember the forest very well, though. Perhaps we should set out for this village so we can buy food and make camp before dark."

"Wait did Koenma even give us any money in the first place?" Yusuke asked, though he felt he knew the answer already.

Everyone glanced at each other with the same unsurprised expression. Then everyone glanced back at Hiei.

"What?" he glared.

"What's the currency, and how do you get it?" Yusuke asked. "You can't tell me you just steal things from here on a monthly basis."

"Of course not," Hiei snorted.

"Well, then how do we get money?" Yusuke asked.

"Rupees," Hiei corrected.

"Huh?" Yusuke questioned.

Hiei sighed. "The money is called rupees. We can either sell stuff for it, or find it in some tall grass."

There was a pause before Yusuke and Kuwabara said together, "'Tall grass?'"

Hiei rolled his eyes again. "Or in trees, or under rocks, or in the river…"

Kuwabara said disbelievingly, "So there's money just… lying around?"

Hiei stood and walked over to a tree, shaking it roughly. Nothing happened. Hiei glared into its branches. While Yusuke and Kuwabara watched him like he was insane, he shook another tree that also yielded nothing.

Kurama tried, "Hiei, maybe we should just sell—"

"No, I know there are some fucking rupees around here somewhere, and I'm going to find them!" Hiei protested, now taking out his sword and beginning to cut down some nearby grass with an almost crazed look in his eyes.

Thankfully for his pride, the third slice revealed something shiny lying on the ground which he picked up and showed to the three others with a fanged grin.

"Rupees," he said.

Everyone sweatdropped. "Erm, exactly how much is that worth?" Yusuke asked, gesturing to the green jewel in Hiei's palm.

"One," Hiei replied.

Everyone fell over.

Kuwabara stepped up and immediately began looking under a pile of rocks nearby and shaking trees while Yusuke refused to participate. After a few minutes he held up his hand triumphantly with a blue jewel.

"I found one!" he said, bringing it over to Hiei and Kurama. "I bet it's worth a lot! How much is it?"

"Five," Hiei said flatly.

Kuwabara sagged. "This is going to take forever!"

"Augh!" Yusuke cried as he scrambled to his feet away from the place he had just been sitting. "Those are some huge-ass bugs!"

"Hurry! Catch them in a bottle!" Hiei said, taking out a bottle and going after the insects while Kuwabara copied him, shooing them into his bottle gently with a large hand.

"I am _not _eating those bugs!" Yusuke said firmly.

Kurama laughed. "I think Hiei means to sell them."

"They pay a lot for bugs," Hiei said placing the cork firmly in the bottle.

"What do they do with them?" Kuwabara asked.

"They pay for adventurers to find them and then they sell them to other adventurers at a higher price," Hiei answered.

"And why do adventurers need them?"

Hiei shrugged.

"Now that we have a means to make money, we can start off for the village," Kurama said.

The four heroes packed up their things and headed off towards the village. Eventually, Kurama and Hiei, who moved much more swiftly through the trees, were far enough ahead to be out of earshot. So, Yusuke asked a question that had been bothering him all day.

"Why are you acting so friendly towards Hiei all of a sudden? Is be blackmailing you or something?" Yusuke asked in a low voice. Hopefully Hyrule had stunted even Kurama's hearing.

"I don't know what you mean, Urameshi," Kuwabara replied in what was supposed to be an innocent voice.

"You know what, just forget it," Yusuke said motioning to move ahead. Yusuke grinned inwardly as Kuwabara took the bait.

"Look, if I tell you, you've got to promise not to tell anyone else, especially Hiei and Kurama," Kuwabara hissed.

"Is it that important?" Yusuke asked with a sly grin.

"I'm serious, Urameshi!" Kuwabara insisted. "It's _really_ important."

"Fine, fine, my lips are sealed," Yusuke laughed.

"Yukina's been telling me some stuff about her brother lately," Kuwabara told him.

"And what's new about that?" Yusuke shrugged.

Kuwabara looked around nervously. "I used my spirit awareness to confirm it, but Yukina reckons Hiei's her brother."

Yusuke stopped dead in his tracks for all of two seconds before Kuwabara grabbed his arm, making him run again so the demons up ahead wouldn't grow suspicious.

Kuwabara continued since Yusuke was silent. "I don't know whether or not Hiei knows. I mean you would think so since he has the Jagan and can read minds and stuff. But Yukina told me not to tell him about it."

Yusuke just nodded. There was nothing else he could do really. Inside he wanted to laugh at the irony, but he also wanted to pound some sense into Hiei. Speak of the devil…

Hiei's voice drifted back to them through the forest. "Stop dragging your feet, and catch up you idiots."

"We're coming! Hold your horses!" Yusuke retorted.

"But that's why I've got to be nicer to him," Kuwabara explained lowly. "If I'm nicer, I might be able to slip him a hint about Yukina."

Yusuke rubbed the back of his head. "Um, Kuwabara, about that. You see—"

At that moment they nearly ran into said dark demon as they rounded a very large bush.

"What are you two doing back here? Napping?" Hiei asked.

"We found the village," Kurama spoke, emerging from the trees.

**Words: 1,767**

**So, I lied. This chapter was not "Friends and Fiends". We're not quite there yet. I already had this much, so I decided to stop this chapter here.**

**Things you should know…**

**Rupees: **The currency of Hyrule. .org/Rupee is a link where you can see all the values from the games. I'm using the one from Twilight Princess because it has the ten rupee. Green = 1; Blue = 5; Yellow = 10; Red = 20; Purple = 50; Orange = 100; Silver = 200. I will explain why there are rupees just lying around later.

**Bugs: **You really can sell bugs in Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time to the Sell Me With C Guy, formally known as the "beggar". I don't call him a beggar because he pays you for items you give him in bottles. Fairies = 25; bug = 50; fish = 100; blue fire = 150; Lon Lon milk = 300.

**For any other information, you can always visit Zeldapedia. Next time our heroes will meet someone completely unexpected in "Friends and Fiends". For real this time!**


	4. Friends and Fiends

**Warnings: See chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1**

**OoOo**

**Chapter 4: Friends and Fiends**

The four heroes wandered through the forest village, named Kokana, if the sign hanging at the entrance were any indication. Not that our heroes walked through the entrance in the first place. In fact, they had emerged from the tree line right on a small girl's doorstep. The poor child let out an 'eep' of surprise, dropping the basket of clean laundry she had been carrying as she ducked inside and slammed the door.

"Well that was weird," Kuwabara muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"She was probably terrified of your ugly face," Hiei said under his breath.

Kuwabara squawked. "What'd you say, shrimp? I oughta—"

"How strange," Kurama commented, strategically stepping in between the eminent fist fight.

"It's like it's been abandoned," Yusuke said, striding into the open to get a better look.

"How are we supposed to buy anything if everybody's hiding from us?" Kuwabara asked.

"Who are you?" a deep voice asked.

The gang jumped and turned around quickly. A middle-aged, broad shouldered man stood in the doorway of a house next to the one they were conversing in front of.

"We are travelers in need of an inn," Kurama explained.

The man shook his head and waved them away. "We are not currently taking in travelers. Move on."

"We have rupees," Kuwabara offered, knowing that Hiei and Kurama had likely collected more on their journey through the woods.

"I am sorry, I cannot help you," the man sighed, beginning to retreat back inside his house.

"Wait up, old man!" Yusuke called. Surprisingly, the man paused. "What's going on? Where are all the villagers?"

Kuwabara nodded. "Something funny's going on here and we want to get to the bottom of it."

The man hesitated, but eventually stepped aside and gestured which they took as an invitation. They trooped inside and crowded past the table where a woman and her daughter looked up stunned from their dinner.

Kurama opened his mouth to speak, but the man cut him off. "This isn't a good time to be taking in strangers and all, but I can't be seen talking to suspicious people out in the middle of the street."

"Suspicious? Us?" Yusuke asked with a nervous laugh, which he promptly stifled when Hiei trod harshly on his toes.

The man narrowed his eyes. "These are dark times, you know. I thought they drafted all the young men from around these parts."

"Drafted? Are you at war?" Kurama asked.

"We are from beyond the borders of the mountains," Hiei supplied.

The man nodded. "That makes sense then. Not much news gets past the mountain range. The question is what brings you this way when so many people are shipping out?"

Everyone looked towards their spokesperson again, who appeared to be annoyed at being named spokesperson in the first place.

Hiei rolled his eyes. "We came for supplies not available to our home province. Unfortunately we lost practically everything but the clothes on our backs when we were attacked by thieves."

"The Moblin Mob got you too?" the man asked, new understanding dawning in his eyes.

The detectives didn't know what Hiei did to trigger such effects, but they decided to let him continue.

Hiei quirked an eyebrow. "Moblin Mob?"

The man nodded. "They are a recently formed group of bandits made up of monsters called Moblins. They walk upright like us, but well…"

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "They were ugly as hell if that's what you're getting at."

The man nodded grimly. "Well you're one of the few lucky groups to escape." Then he sighed. "And if that's not enough, a summons came for every able young man to report to defend the temple's treasure. Now we're completely unguarded."

"Gosh, and all we wanted was a hot meal and possibly a place to stay the night," Yusuke muttered thoughtfully.

"Mind if I take this off? I've been toting it around all day," Kuwabara said, gesturing to his hammer.

The man's eye widened considerably as he glanced around at the weapons they all carried. "Are you skilled with those tools?"

"Of course!" Yusuke boasted. "What use would they be if we weren't?"

The man snapped his fingers. "I'll tell you what! If you slay the monster that's attacking the temple, I'll convince the innkeeper to let you stay for free. What do you say?"

The four companions glanced at each other and nodded. Then to the man Kurama smiled and said, "We accept your quest."

"So I wonder what that treasure is that they're hiding away in here," Kuwabara mused as they walked the first, too silent hallway.

"Can't believe they've been suckered into guarding some treasure when even _they_ don't know what it is," Yusuke muttered.

"I'm more concerned, as the rest of you should be, with why this temple is as silent as a tomb," Kurama spoke quietly, his voice echoing eerily from the stone surrounding them.

"We may find out sooner than expected," Hiei pointed out as he gestured ahead. "It seems the invader was kind enough to leave a warning behind."

Near an intricately carved archway obviously leading into the main room of the temple lay a young man slumped over and apparently dead, if the lack of pulse and bluish tint to his skin were any indication. Above him a sign was posted, written in Hylian, naturally.

"What does it say?" Kurama asked.

"'Proceed to enter if thou hast the courage. If thou dost not, redirect thine course. Unforgiving is the Labyrinth.'" Hiei read.

"This sign has always been here, but one must wonder why," Kurama mused.

"'The Labyrinth'?" Yusuke questioned, folding his arms. "I thought that old man told us that this was a temple, not a dungeon."

"How about you put your brain, however small, to use for just a moment," Hiei drawled lazily as Yusuke's eye twitched at the insult. "If a great treasure is hidden somewhere in here, then surely this entire temple is riddled with traps."

Kuwabara rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So was this unlucky bastard the victim of the intrusion or of a hidden trap?"

"I suppose the only way to find out is to proceed, though with more caution than this one," Kurama suggested, stepping over the man's outstretched leg to enter the temple with the others following. "Though I do truly wonder what he was doing inside when the rest of his company was posted _outside._"

"Well maybe when the monster got in, he was the only one stupid enough to actually follow," Yusuke said.

"I'm not quite sure," Kurama replied. "When we questioned the guards, they said that all men were accounted for."

"Oh, maybe they were using him as bait for the monster, and they knew he was dead," Kuwabara said, a little too excitedly in Yusuke's opinion. "Therefore, he _is _accounted for, just no longer living!"

Yusuke gave the psychic a look. "You watch _way_ too many late-night mysteries, man."

Kurama ignored the two as they began to squabble while he approached a door to inspect it for traps. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and brushed the hand away absently.

"Not now, Hiei. Go settle those two idiots over there. They are far too loud and distracted in this place."

The tapping came again, only this time it was more persistent. Once more, Kurama brushed the hand off, this time with a little annoyance. The fox was just about to take a chance at trying the door knob when the hand roughly clasped his shoulder in an icy grip. The redhead whirled around with wide eyes to see the young man from the doorway, still very dead, but very… mobile.

When the others heard Kurama's gasp as he pulled his weapon, they pulled theirs out as well. Being that Kurama was at an awkward ranged for his clawshot, Hiei took the liberty of killing the walking corpse. If killing something that was already dead could be considered killing at all, that is.

"Thank you," Kurama gasped. The fox was not normally squeamish, but if there was any enemy that gave him the willies, it was the undead. Kurama secretly feared death, hence why he was walking around in his current body.

"Ouch," came the muffled voice from the ground as the zombie picked himself back up and examined his slashed clothing; his skin had already started to repair itself.

"Woah! Zombies can talk?" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"Zombie?" the zombie asked.

"Yeah, they're dead, they move around, and they attack people," Yusuke informed.

"And eat brains!" Kuwabara cried accusingly, stepping back a couple of paces.

Hiei rolled his eyes. "If that's what they eat, then you two have no need to worry."

"But I'm not even here to attack you!" the zombie pleaded.

"Then what are you here for? I'm not really a fan of redeads." Hiei fingered the hilt of his sword threateningly.

"Undead," Kuwabara said.

"What?" both Hiei and the zombie asked together.

"Zombies are undead. 'Redead' makes no sense," Kuwabara pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Why not? It'll re-die when I kill it," Hiei said flatly, while the zombie man attempted to subtly create some space between himself and the shorter man.

"Who cares? How about we just call him by his name?" Yusuke suggested.

"Because it's no longer his name!" Kuwabara protested. "It was his name when he was alive, but now that he's a reanimated body, _he _is an _it_!"

"Oh yeah?" Yusuke challenged. Then to the zombie he asked, "Hey, man what's your name?"

"Mikao," the zombie said.

"See? He's got a name!" Yusuke said triumphantly to Kuwabara. "Besides, zombies don't talk, so he _can't_ be a zombie."

"He doesn't have a pulse," Kuwabara said, nervously eyeing Mikao.

"Neither do Hiei and I, but we're not zombies," Yusuke huffed.

"Actually, you both have a pulse, Yusuke. You just don't have a heartbeat," Kurama explained.

"I do?" Yusuke asked dumbly, putting a finger against his neck in wonder. "Wow, that's new."

He then looked at Hiei who growled out, "Touch me and you'll regret it."

"My, my so grumpy," Yusuke laughed, though he did not come any closer at risk of losing his finger.

"Er… Mikao," Kurama said, using the name awkwardly. "If you aren't here to attack us then, what do you want?"

"I'm supposed to tell you something important pertaining to the temple, but I guess I just didn't wake up in time when you walked by," Mikao said sheepishly, and had he been living, surely some color would have risen in his cheeks. "You see I wasn't expecting anyone else seeing as there was one other who entered before you clad in green. Seeing as he has not come back through the entrance, he has either died or successfully collected the treasure."

"But what would you normally tell those who enter the Labyrinth?" Kurama questioned. "Assuming you are the guard of the entrance, of course."

Mikao nodded, awful popping noises coming from his neck at the action. "I was posted as a guard long ago, but the village forgot about me I suppose. While the other guards forgot their purpose and wandered off from their posts at one point or another, I never forgot. I am the only one who remains."

"So what is it we need to know?" Hiei asked.

"I am supposed to tell all of those who muster up the courage to enter," Mikao paused for dramatic effect, "red, yellow, blue."

"'Red, yellow, blue?'" Kurama repeated, while the others looked just as puzzled.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Yusuke asked incredulously.

"I am not sure, myself," Mikao admitted, with a shake of his head, leaning against his archway once again and sinking to the floor tiredly. "I must return to my post," he slurred with exhaustion.

"Um, Mikao… You okay, man?" Yusuke asked. "You're lookin' a little pale. Well, paler than before that is."

"Perhaps now that Mikao's mission is done it is time for him to depart from this world," Kurama murmured.

"A word of caution…" Mikao rasped, his eyes closing. "Beware the monsters that hang from the ceiling."

And as his last words died on his lips, so did Mikao who dissolved to ash that was carried away on a mysterious nonexistent wind.

**Words: 2,040**

**So our heroes have arrived at the temple. But someone has been here before them! Who could it be? **

**Some things you should know…**

**Mikao: **I actually got the idea for him from Twilight Princess. There's the undead warrior that is the golden wolf and the ghosts that point the way in the last castle. I just decided to bring in something both new and old. I agree with Hiei. I am not fond of redeads, yet I expect them in all the games. Just wouldn't be Zelda otherwise.

**Yusuke and Hiei don't have heartbeats: **This was mentioned in Yu Yu Hakusho in both the anime and the manga. Yusuke died and came back to life the second time as the Mazoku. He actually was killed by a shot to the heart which is initially why I thought he didn't have a heartbeat. But Kurama tells him that he will get used to it. As it turns out (upon reading the manga), apparitions do not have heartbeats and it is their 'core' that supposedly pumps youki. I assume it is also the 'core' that pumps blood seeing as in the episode where Hiei kills Sniper, it is apparent that Hiei bleeds. Also in the episode where Hiei fights Shigure. Though Kurama understands the whole 'no heartbeat' thing because he was Yoko at one point, he has a heartbeat now that he has a human body. Originally I had Yusuke argue that neither Kurama nor Hiei have heartbeats, but then I realized that it is actually Yusuke, Hiei and Kurama's _yoko form_ that have no heartbeat.

BTW… I noticed that the site address for the whole rupee thing didn't show up because it was a hyperlink. Woops. So here it is: .org/Rupee

**Next Chapter: **Our heroes find out that something is most definitely wrong with the temple. Will they succeed in their mission? Will they find this mysterious character who entered the temple before them? Find out in: "**Skullduggery".**


	5. Skullduggery

**Chapter 5: Skullduggery**

"It goes over there!"

"No, that is clearly the nose. It's making a smiling face, see?"

"It's supposed to be the Triforce, you imbecile!"

"What's a 'trifork'?"

"Hiei, stop picking on Yusuke and help me slide this block, would you?"

"Hm, if we push it this way, it will slide into that one and we can reach the—"

"Where'd the other block go? I could have sworn…"

"God damnit, Yusuke! Why the hell did you have push that block? We need that one there!"

"So push it back, Miss Pissy!"

"I can't just push it back! It will go all the way to the other wall! Fuck, now we'll have to circle the other direction, Kurama."

"Joy."

"Hey, guys do you need some—"

"Oh, hell no."

"Stop, Kuwabara! You must stay on that switch!"

"I'm supposed to what?"

"FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU—"

"Oh, it seems they have all been reset again. Wonderful."

"Where'd Yusuke go?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you. There was a hand creeping around on the ceiling after him."

"So he's back at the beginning of the temple?"

"Again?"

"Again."

"I swear, if this chest is empty too…"

ooo

Our four heroes searched the forest temple thoroughly, but six empty treasure chests, two sliding block puzzles, and an empty tower later, they had returned to trekking through the woods.

"Tell me why we didn't just go back and explain to the innkeeper again," Yusuke muttered.

"Tell me why you ended up at the beginning of the temple three times for no good reason," Hiei replied sourly.

"How was I supposed to know a giant hand would pop out of nowhere?" Yusuke argued.

"That's enough, it's been a long day," Kurama said with a tired sigh.

"It's called dodging," Hiei said under his breath, not unheard by Yusuke who opened his mouth to retort before Kuwabara cut in.

"I wish we could have stayed at the inn," the tall carrot-top said, imagining a nice warm bed he could be sleeping in.

Kurama shook his head. "We cannot afford to stay here and get so far behind when we will be able to at least reach another town to collect supplies before daybreak. We can use a campsite if we need."

Kuwabara sulked at the rear of the flock while Yusuke continued to quietly mutter about giant hands and Hiei continued to be indifferent, occasionally collecting stray rupees.

"And not even a single treasure to show for our hard work," Kuwabara mourned, truly disappointed in the failure of his first real quest.

"I wouldn't say we have nothing to show for our work," Kurama told him lightly, a little too lightly for someone who frolicked around a three level temple for nothing.

Yusuke growled. "I swear to anything holy, Kurama, if you say you have some jewels and crap stuffed down that dress—"

"Tunic," Kurama corrected.

"—I am going to fucking kill you!" Yusuke finished, ignoring the interruption.

"The jewels of knowledge cannot be found in a chest, Yusuke," Kurama replied airily.

Yusuke's eye twitched.

"He means that at least we have a clue as to what's going on around here," Hiei interpreted.

"And what might that be?" Yusuke asked in irritation.

"This person dressed in green who was at the temple before us could be working for this powerful sorcerer we're looking for, or at least have something to do with our mission," Kurama said.

"I worked that much out for myself, oddly enough," Yusuke said flatly. "Now what do we do with the information?"

"We follow the obvious trail he will leave, dumbass," Hiei sighed.

Somewhere behind them a raincloud disappeared as Kuwabara tuned in suddenly. "The quest isn't over?" he asked hopefully.

Against Hiei's better judgment, he replied simply, "No."

A grin broke out across Kuwabara's face as he puffed his chest out and strode past them in determination. "Well hurry up then! The world won't save itself, you know!"

"Wouldn't it be nice if it would?" Yusuke asked wistfully.

"You would be out of a job," Kurama pointed out.

Yusuke opened his mouth to reply, but Hiei cut him off. "Running a ramen stand isn't your real job."

"Shut up," Yusuke pouted.

And so they resumed their journey through the woods guided by small patches of moonlight that illuminated the path. Every now and then, Hiei would silently modify their course in order to keep them locked on whatever destination he had intended for them. Not knowing where they were going exactly was no real problem, except that at select times the small demon led them through awkward stretches of forest that lead off of the path.

"Are we almost there?" Yusuke asked finally.

"We are almost _somewhere_, yes," Hiei answered.

Yusuke glared at the back of Hiei's head. "And where exactly is—"

"Look up there!" Kuwabara pointed ahead of them.

Sure enough, the tree line ended and they emerged in an open field with the lights of a nearby town glowing in the distance. The psychic made a move to run towards the town in joy, but Hiei quickly threw an arm out to stop him.

"What the hell, Hiei? Don't tell me that's some town of evil and doom because it's all the same to me if they've got food," Kuwabara said with irritation.

Kurama's eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared. "What is that awful smell?"

"I thought your foxy powers were gone while we're here Kurama," Yusuke said confusedly.

"I don't need demon senses to smell that," Kurama said, as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. Something dead and rotting was walking around. The walking dead were not a welcome concept to Kurama.

"Yuck! I smell it too!" Kuwabara coughed. "What died?"

"Step off of the path and that question will be answered," Hiei said quietly, walking out onto the path through the field as the others began to follow.

Kuwabara shivered. "This place doesn't feel like this during the daytime."

"It could be that the sorcerer's power is increasing," Kurama said.

"Possibly," Hiei answered. "The towns of Hyrule are really just safe havens from the monsters that lurk in the surrounding areas. It is said that holy men made the paths around the plains that are blessed with magic to repel the evil creatures from killing innocent travelers. This smells like the work of a sorcerer though."

Hiei abruptly stopped, bringing everyone else to a halt behind him as well.

"What's up?" Yusuke asked.

"You should ready your weapons," Hiei answered, glancing back at them.

The rest of the group took a look at what Hiei was talking about. The path they had been walking along ended with no sign of another road in sight.

"Ah, it seems that we have no choice but to stray from the path," Kurama commented.

They all shared glances, and eventually their expressions gave way to smirks. It had been a good while since they had killed anything new (discounting that giant hand of course). This would be the perfect opportunity to test out their weapons. With a deep breath, and a cocky grin he was so well known for, Yusuke dramatically stepped off of the path and strode a couple of paces into the grass.

"Hey monsters! I'm walking on the grass! Why don't you come out and fight me!" Yusuke taunted.

Hiei and Kurama merely smirked amusedly and shook their heads. Yusuke readied his bow as he felt a tremor pass through the ground.

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara gasped, pointing at the ground beside Yusuke.

Kurama's stomach jolted sickeningly as he saw it. A skeletal head gnawed its way free from the ground shortly followed by an ivory body that pulled itself out of the earth, clothed in decaying armor. The creature stared at them with red eyes that glowed in the black sockets of the skull, and it seemed to wear a sinister grin on its bony face. The rotting odor increased tenfold as the walker emitted a chilling chuckle.

Hiei's brow furrowed. "Stalfos?"

"These are the monsters?" Kuwabara asked.

"No, these monsters have been enhanced by the sorcerer's power," Hiei answered so that Yusuke would hear. "They are more powerful than they look, and they have a strong swing."

"They have a what?" Yusuke asked. His question was soon answered as he barely dodged the sharp bony fingers that slashed in his direction, nicking his arm in the process.

"What's the big idea you—" Yusuke began, but he was forced to dodge again as the creature continued to swing at him. To Yusuke's credit, the stalfos did not land another hit, but then again Yusuke had not injured the dead warrior either. He pulled out his bow in an attempt to hit the skeleton, but it was too fast, forcing him to dodge again.

"How the hell am I supposed to hit this thing?" Yusuke questioned.

Suddenly the warrior froze in place, momentarily stunned. This gave Yusuke an opening to land a hit with his arrow. The creature gave a low growl and collapsed on the ground before dissolving into ash.

"Are you okay?" they heard a voice ask as they all turned to the source.

There in the now dawning light stood a man with sandy hair and pointed ears. He carried a sword and shield on his back and was closely accompanied by what could only be a fairy. Blue eyes blinked in curious concern at them all. Overall he did not appear very harmless, but what had stunned the group into silence was that this man was wearing… a green tunic.

"Who are you?" Hiei asked with a glare.

"Me? Oh, my name's Link," the man answered.

"What are you doing out here?" Kurama asked uncertainly.

"I'm on a quest of sorts," Link told him pleasantly. "It's kind of a long story."

"What kind of quest?" Kuwabara asked excitedly.

"Well I'm actually from Odalwa just down the road back there," he nodded his head back down the path they had come. "But right now I'm on my way to Castle Town to deliver this pendant."

He held up what appeared to be a gold-framed emerald on a chain for Kuwabara to observe in wonder.

"Why would you be sent on such a quest?" Kurama asked, eyeing the stone cautiously.

"Like I said, it's a really long story, and I'm kind of in a hurry," Link said, shifting uncomfortably. All of a sudden he was getting bad vibes from these people.

"And we would love to hear it," Hiei said, stepping in Link's path.

"Alright, I guess I have time to tell you," Link sighed. "Yesterday was supposed to be the wedding of Anji and Karlo."

"Who're they?" Kuwabara asked.

Link blinked at the question. "The medicine maker's daughter and the town shopkeeper."

"What does a wedding have to do with anything?" Yusuke asked.

"It has a great deal to do with everything," Link told him. "So anyways, Old Man Hojo comes to me and says he lost the ceremonial pendants."

"Who's Old Man Hojo?" Kuwabara asked.

"How does some old man losing some peanuts have anything to do with anything?" Yusuke questioned.

"Pendants, Yusuke," Kurama corrected.

"Old Man Hojo's the one who performs the marriage ceremony," Link explained.

"What's a pendant?" Yusuke wondered aloud.

"Oh just let him tell the goddamn story," Hiei growled.

"Apparently a strange-looking thief from the forest stole the pendants and took them to the temple," Link continued. "So, I was sent in after them because I was the only one who wasn't afraid. I had to sneak past the guards standing outside because they said there was a monster inside. I found and returned the pendants, but I also destroyed the monster and came across this," Link said holding up the trinket again. "I saw the royal crest on the back and decided that I should return it to the palace. While I was on my way through the field I saw all of you, and here I am."

"And now you're on your way to Castle Town?" Kurama inquired.

"How'd you make that monster freeze?" Yusuke asked from the background.

"Yes, and I used deku nuts," Link responded, producing a walnut-sized nut from his waistbag.

Yusuke snatched the nut, and Kuwabara peeked over his shoulder to view the thing with interest.

"Er, look, it's been fun and all, but I really am in a bit of a hurry," Link said, heading back towards the trail.

"Take us with you," Kurama suggested.

Link lifted an eyebrow. "Why? You can find Castle Town without my help I'm sure."

"It's dangerous to go alone," Kurama pointed out.

Link sighed in response. "You know the last person that told me that handed me a sword."

"That was kind of him," Hiei said dully.

"He still sent me off alone," Link reflected thoughtfully.

"Please, we can be of help to you," Kurama said. "At least as far as Castle Town."

"Then we'll split ways," Link said inquiringly.

Kurama nodded. "If you decide that is what you wish to do. Right now we're all headed in the same direction though."

Link paused thoughtfully and studied all of them. The two dressed in green and blue seemed harmless enough. Sure, they must be strong, but they didn't exactly seem that bright the way they fought over a simple deku nut like it was the last in the world. Perhaps he should tell them that it's not for eating… No, they would figure it out. The one in yellow seemed kind on the outside, but Link felt there was an edge to this one, a side he would rather not see that lurked just beneath the surface. The short one in black had a very creepy wide-eyed glare and a fancy-looking sword, but did not seem to be the traitorous type despite his sharp tongue.

"Well, alright," Link said finally.

"It seems we need proper introductions then," Kurama replied with a smile. "My name is Kurama."

"Hiei," the one in black supplied.

"I'm Yusuke Urameshi, and the ugly one right here is Kuwabara," the one in green said, indicating the ugly one dressed in blue next to him as being… well, the 'ugly one'.

"I'm Link," Link said, and he paused as he heard a cough near his ear. "Oh, and this is-."

"Oh my god," Yusuke groaned.

"What?" Link asked, looking about himself for the source of Yusuke's displeasure.

"I mean come on! The dress is bad enough," Yusuke said gesturing to Link's attire.

"Tunic," both Hiei and Kurama corrected.

"And he's wearing tights," Yusuke continued.

"Stockings," Kuwabara said matter-of-factly.

"And the boots match the belt!" Yusuke said pointing an accusing finger at said color coordinated accessories.

"Your clothes match too," Kurama muttered.

"Um, these are the only clothes I own right now," Link defended in confusion.

"But this just takes the cake!" Yusuke ranted above them.

"What is he talking about?" Link whispered to Kurama.

Kurama rubbed his temples. "It seems that what has upset Yusuke is your—"

"A fairy!" Yusuke shouted in disbelief.

"A real fairy? Cool!" Kuwabara exclaimed excitedly.

"You would think that," Yusuke muttered, narrowing his eyes at Kuwabara.

"Kurama, is Yusuke ranting about another one of those human things?" Hiei asked flatly.

"Yes, Hiei. Yes he is," Kurama answered in a bored manner.

"Are there any normal men in this universe?" Yusuke demanded the sky loudly.

"Link I'm scared," the fairy said, make little jingling noises as it shuddered.

Link smiled kindly and lifted his cap slightly. "You can hide in my hat if you like."

"Are you really that insecure, Yusuke?" Kurama asked, raising an eyebrow.

The bait worked like a charm as Yusuke's eye gave one massive twitch and he settled down significantly. "Insecure? Me? No, of course not! I mean he can live any lifestyle he chooses." Then turning to Link he added. "Whatever, man. Just don't include me in any of this fairy nonsense."

"I still don't understand," Link said to Kurama as Yusuke continued walking in the direction of the far-off village.

"Me neither, but fortunately I seemed to have lost interest," Hiei said dully.

"Eh, just don't worry about it," Kurama said waving it off. "Yusuke will get over himself shortly. He's just adjusting to traveling in Hyrule. And then all of our supplies got stolen…"

"Moblin Mob?" Link asked with sympathy.

"That's a stupid name," Hiei said with a roll of his eyes.

"So from your tone I take it they kicked your ass?" Link asked.

Hiei snorted. "No, but all our shit got stolen by the survivors who escaped us."

Link looked for confirmation to Kurama who merely shrugged and gestured for them to follow after Yusuke. They had barely begun their slow journey when Link felt a tapping on his shoulder and turned only to come face to grin with the tall goofy one named Kuwabara.

"Um, can I help you?" he asked politely.

"Do you really have a real fairy?" Kuwabara asked excitedly.

"Erm, yes," Link said, lifting his hat to allow the blue glowing creature to flutter free.

"That's amazing!" Kuwabara gasped. "What's your name, little fairy?"

"Spryte," the fairy answered shyly.

"Wow, where'd you find her?" Kuwabara asked, grinning wider if it were possible.

"She found me actually. Usually you find fairies in the forest though," Link replied. "You've really never been to Hyrule?"

"Nah, we came from over the mountains," Kuwabara explained, remembering what Hiei had told the inn keeper the day before. Earlier he had been feeling the fatigue from being awake and traveling for so long, but all of the excitement acted like a jumpstart to his system.

"Oh? Which ones?" Link asked with interest. Truthfully, he had never even left his home town, or so he had been told. He never knew his parents, and neither had anyone else in Odalwa, so he had no idea where he actually came from.

"The western range, and beyond the desert," Hiei answered, knowing Kuwabara did not have a clue as to Hyrule's geography.

"Wow, that's a long way to travel. What brings you here?" Link asked thoughtfully.

"Trading," Hiei replied shortly. "We were supposed to be collecting some resources only found in Hyrule."

"But now I suppose we're stranded," Kurama added. "With nothing to offer, we can't exactly _trade_ for anything, and it would be such a waste to return without them."

"Well, if you can't trade, why are you going to Castle Town?" Link asked curiously.

"We must replace our stolen supplies and find out exactly what's going on here. This Moblin Mob is only one of many suspicious things," Kurama answered, hoping that Link was on their side.

Link's eyes widened and then grew gloomy despite the bright weather. "I know what you mean."

OOO

**Words: 3,133**

**Well, not the longest chapter in the world, but it got the job done! I know that I haven't explained the "red, yellow, blue" thing yet, but it will come in later. I'm still foaming at the mouth and playing Skyward Sword, so no one spoil it for me! Bought the guide, but I never use it on the first run through… However I did look through the titles of things I've already done so I could title the next chapter in honor of Skyward Sword's release and Legend of Zelda's 25****th**** Anniversary. **

**Some things you should know…**

**Odalwa: **Yes, yes I know I'm awful for just using the name of the forest boss from Majora's Mask, but I will try to make it significant for the name and tie it together. I have in mind what it's supposed to mean. I just didn't want to name Link's village Dekonia or something or the awful thing some people do. Changing Ordon to Oldon or something… So I just used the name of Odalwa. They do that in some of the games right?

**Spryte: **Okay, that's me not being able to think up a better name. I noticed that the names of the fairies are usually some clever misspelling or pun. "Navi" _navi_gates. "Tatl" and "Tael" is tattle tale. So I chose Spryte. I know it's not all that creative, but my creative cap is in need of repairs.

"**A fairy!": ** So Yusuke had a little freak out! PS: Link's not gay, and I didn't mean to offend anyone by making a fairy joke. Just couldn't resist…

**Next Time: **Our heroes make one more stop before they go to Castle Town. But what's this? Trouble in the mines? Find out what happens next in: **"The Burning Path".**


	6. The Burning Path

**Warnings: See Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**

**Chapter 6: The Burning Path**

It was high noon before they made it to the town of Kakariko nestled at the base of an ominously smoking mountain. None of the villagers seemed bothered by the grey-black cloud billowing above their happy little livelihoods nor the occasional rumbling that was most certainly _not_ thunder.

Kurama peered up at the sky in nonchalant concern. "How can they be so oblivious to their impending doom?" he asked quietly. "This volcano is sure to erupt any day now."

"That _is_ why they call it Death Mountain, you realize," Hiei commented, inspecting an overpriced shield in boredom before replacing it with the shake of his head.

"You don't seem very concerned about being blown to bits," Kuwabara observed with a flat stare at Hiei.

"I'm pretty sure I can withstand fire," Hiei answered drily.

Yusuke dared to poke Hiei's shoulder as he taunted lowly, "Yeah, but you forget that you don't have your demon powers here. You'd melt just like the rest of us."

Hiei slapped Yusuke's hand away with an annoyed glare. "My powers may be gone, but my body is still fire-proof, you twit."

Kurama nodded. "We may not be able to utilize our powers, but our body chemistry is the same. We will not be as affected by the things that we are biologically immune or resistant to. Do you understand?"

"You lost me at chemistry and again at biocology," Yusuke said.

"It's like my battle with Touya in which my powers were locked inside my body," Kurama sighed, not bothering to correct Yusuke's words.

"So mine are locked inside, too?" Yusuke asked thoughtfully, examining his hand as if to see the power trapped within.

Link pushed his way out of the crowd gathered at the potions stand and took a deep breath before making his way back over to his new travelling group. "Did you guys get all that you needed?" he asked, straightening his hat and placing his newly purchased potions inside his pouch.

Hiei nodded, shouldering a shield and handing the irritated shopkeeper eighty rupees. He would rather not pay such an outrageous price for an item he did not particularly want, but a sturdier shield was a must for the trials they would surely undergo.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Kuwabara said, eager to get away from the mountain and the awful feeling he was picking up from it.

"Um, about that," Link said, looking slightly guilty.

Yusuke had a flat look on his face, expecting what was coming.

"You guys might have to go on to Castle Town without me," Link told them all.

"You're not thinking of going up that mountain, are you?" Kuwabara asked worriedly.

Link nodded seriously. "Someone told me that no one is able to go up the mountain pass because there was a rockslide that blocked the path."

"I'm so sure that's why," Kurama muttered.

"Not like it has anything to do with it _erupting_ or anything," Yusuke said.

Kuwabara tried to convince Link again. "Look, I've just got a really bad feeling about that mountain. I don't think you should go up there."

Link smiled kindly, but turned with a wave. "I appreciate the concern, but I can't just stand around and watch."

"Weren't you dying to go on another adventure a moment ago?" Yusuke asked slyly. "What's wrong? Is Kuwabara chickening out?"

Link had done no more than take a step when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder, and turned to see the very determined form of Kuwabara, his eyes blazing.

"Look, if you're going up there, you're not going alone!" Kuwabara said firmly. "We already decided to stick together until Castle Town, and real men don't go back on their word!" he exclaimed, punching a fist into the air, and then added as an afterthought, "No matter how many bad feelings he may be getting from that mountain…"

"Okay then," Link said with a shrug. _This Kuwabara guy is really into adventuring…_

OOO

"Come on, Kuwabara! Hurry it up!" Yusuke's voice shouted from farther up the path.

"Easy for you to say," the psychic groaned, panting from the safety of an alcove in which he had ducked, having nearly been flattened by a boulder that resembled Risho from the Dark Tournament careening down at him. The mountain certainly had deadly aim for the falling rocks to be random.

"Okay, you're good!" Yusuke called.

"That's what you said last time, and I almost got squashed!" Kuwabara yelled back.

"It's a lucky thing that you're already ugly, then," Hiei commented, loud enough for Kuwabara to catch.

"What was that?!" Kuwabara exclaimed, forgetting about the danger of boulders, and dashing across the pathway where the others waited to grab Hiei by the collar of his tunic.

"If you're done dawdling, we can finally continue," Hiei said in monotone, pushing away from Kuwabara and brushing off.

"Where are we exactly?" Kurama asked, shielding his eyes from the sun as he gazed at the dusty scenery cast in an ashen haze.

"It's like snow," Kuwabara said in wonderment, inspecting the grey-white flakes that landed in his palm.

"It's ash," Hiei said gruffly, though he did not insult Kuwabara.

"The mountain is getting pretty close to erupting," Yusuke said, breathing in the smoldering air.

"Oh, no," Link moaned from where he stood above them on a higher ledge.

"How'd he get up there so fast?" Yusuke asked himself. He could have sworn Link had been standing next to him just a moment before when he had been mocking Kuwabara.

"What's wrong?" Kurama called even as Link was jumping back down the ledges to reach them.

"Goron City looks like it's been burned to the ground," Link replied, finally rejoining the rest of them. "It doesn't look like we can get down on the other side."

"How bad is it?" Kuwabara questioned, squinting through the hazy air.

"Pretty bad," Link answered, his boots crunching on the loose dirt and gravel as he approached.

"How bad is 'pretty bad'?" Yusuke wondered.

"Well, there's a huge crevasse in the ground beyond the boulders," Link said, looking back up to the top of the rock wall beside the boulder pile in defeat.

"You think it was the flaming rocks that caught the city on fire?" Yusuke thought aloud.

Kurama shook his head dismissively, ash flakes flying from the red tresses at the motion. "I doubt it, Yusuke. If the Gorons have been living up here for this long, then surely their city was built to withstand any potential eruption of the mountain."

Hiei nodded in agreement. "They may appear to be primitive creatures, but they are the most technologically advanced race in Hyrule, not to mention the most respected metal workers."

"We'll just have to go around," Link sighed in defeat, beginning down the rough trail that lead to the right.

Kuwabara eyed the trail before hesitatingly following the others. Geysers were shooting hot clouds of steam at random, and the ground seemed unlevel and unused. Link had been right, he thought. Whatever had caused the rockslide in the main mountain pass could not have been natural. If it had, then surely this pass would also be hopelessly blocked off. This feeling… Were they all walking into a trap?

Suddenly he ran into Yusuke, who turned to give him a dirty look. Link had stopped and was peering cautiously around a corner. "Why are we stopping?" Kuwabara whispered.

The rest of the group crept forward and peeked around the corner as well.

"An… owl?" Yusuke asked incredulously with a raised eyebrow.

"I really wish there was another path," Link sighed, ducking back around the corner.

Kurama asked Link, "Will it prevent us from going through?"

"Not exactly, but I _want_ to avoid it," Link grumbled, folding his arms.

Kurama looked at Hiei for an explanation. Hiei appeared to have the same look of distaste on his face, but caught the fox's questioning stare. "It's an old guardian from the Spirit World. They usually take the form of owls here."

Kurama groaned and ran a hand over his eyes. "Sages think they're so wise."

"There are sages here?" Kuwabara asked with a sparkle of excitement in his eyes.

"Don't get excited just yet, idiot," Hiei snapped, though he added as an afterthought, "unless you want to be used as a sacrifice."

Yusuke scratched his head, peering around the corner again at the dozing bird. "I don't get why you're all makin' a big deal over an overgrown owl. How about we just kick its ass and move on?"

"It's not that easy," Kurama said.

"Of course it isn't" Yusuke muttered.

"Okay, here's what we do," Link whispered. They all huddled closer to listen to him. "We're going to walk slowly as close to the far wall as possible and hope he doesn't see us."

There was a long pause in which they waited expectantly.

"That's it?" Yusuke asked. "That's your plan?"

"Well, er, yes," Link replied, fidgeting under the stares. "He tends not to talk to you if you stay very far away from him."

"Supposedly sages gaze far into the future and don't take notice of things happening around them unless a person wanders in very close proximity," Kurama explained.

After more low-toned whispering for many more moments, Link convinced the rest of the company to follow his careful instructions. They crept out from the corner and towards the far wall and moved very slowly at Link's pace. Someone accidentally kicked a pebble, and the line froze. All eyes turned to the owl, but the large eyes continued to stare unblinkingly into the distance. Everyone exhaled in relief and continued their trek to the path beyond. They were so close. More than halfway there, in fact, when Yusuke broke.

"This is stupid!" he said, ignoring the shushing noises Link was desperately making.

He marched up to the old owls perch. The owl cocked his head and his yellow eyes began to wander.

"Yusuke, get back here!" Kurama whispered furiously. "Hiei, we have to drag him back! We can still make it!" He double glanced ahead of him. That bastard.

"Hell, no!" Hiei whispered back, far ahead of Kurama, sneaking furiously toward their destination.

"Hiei? Hiei!" Kurama called as loudly as he dared, sneaking after the fire demon and Link.

Kuwabara glanced back and forth between the divided group. Which way should he go?

"Hey, you overgrown—" Yusuke began, but the owl cut him off.

"Ah, young man!" he breathed in his deep, booming voice, flapping his wings several times, the gusts knocking Yusuke off of his feet. "I see a destiny!"

"Shit shit shit," Hiei whispered. He was almost clear—

"A destiny for the six of you, brave lads!" he proclaimed, hooting and gazing at them all.

"Damn it all to hell!" Hiei cursed, realizing there was no hope for any of them now.

"All of you! Come hither and harken to my tale!" the owl beckoned.

No one moved.

"Do not be frightened. _Come hither_," the owl insisted. His eyes flashed bright gold, and everyone gathered around the owl, their bodies moving under the influence of a will that was not their own.

"W-what's goin' on?" Kuwabara asked nervously.

"My name is Kaepora Gaebora," he said, hooting again softly. "I have a tale most fantastic and terrible to reveal to you. Will you listen?"

"No," said Yusuke rebelliously.

Kaepora cocked his head and regarded Yusuke sideways for a moment. "Don't be so rash to rush into danger, young man! Now, harken to my tale." His eyes flashed again, and Yusuke's mouth clamped shut.

Kaepora took a deep breath and in his slow, drawling voice spoke thus:

"In the beginning, the goddesses created the earth and the sky. Din, in her great power wrought the red earth out of the seas and created land. Farore, with her rich soul created the creatures of the earth and all living things who would uphold the law and care for the land. Nayru, through her wisdom brought order and law to the world that the earth and its inhabitants may obey. When the goddesses found that their work was done, they left the world, the only remnant of their presence, the golden triangles—the Triforce!

"And yet, though peace has reigned through Hyrule for the past three-hundred years, a fell wind has begun to blow! Beyond this path you shall find a dismal sight, for, I tell you, the Goron City no longer stands. It has been burned to the ground. No ordinary flames can accomplish such a feat! Unnatural fire springs from the mountain top and clouds gather in a most menacing manner. You must make your way to the summit where your destiny lies. However, I must also advise that you use the path ahead, for the normal path has been collapsed by the same great force!"

The owl ruffled his wings and shook his head. "Thus ends my tale. Would you like to hear what I said again?"

"No," everyone said collectively, except Kurama who offered a polite "no, thank you."

"Yeah, could you repeat that? I didn't quite get it," Yusuke muttered sarcastically.

Hiei whirled around to the detective. "I will murder you in your sleep."

The owl took a deep breath and told his story again, ending with a screech and a hoot. Once again he regarded them, seeming to have taken great enjoyment at in restating the monologue. "Thus ends my tale. Would you like to hear what I said again?"

"No!" they all shouted.

"I assure you our paths will cross again… Take courage, lads!" he called, flying off with a final 'hoo-hoot'.

"Now that that's over," Link sighed in relief, tapping the toes of his boots behind him to regain feeling.

"_Twice_," added Hiei, glaring at Yusuke.

"Who knew he didn't know sarcasm?" Yusuke defended.

"Words of wisdom! He told us stuff we already knew!" Link said to himself.

"That story about the Triforce… is it true?" Kuwabara asked in wonderment.

Link shrugged, "Supposedly."

"The belief in the Triforce is at least the organized religion of Hyrule," Hiei told him. "Other than replicas and legends, there is no proof that it actually exists."

"It's also the crest of the royal family," Link chimed in. "There are many ancient temples that had once been dedicated to the worship of the goddesses, but many now lay in ruin. There is still one that still serves its purpose, though."

"There is?" Kuwabara asked eagerly.

Link nodded with a smile. "The Temple of Time in Castle Town."

Kuwabara's eyes widened, and he broke out into a grin again. "Do you think I'll get to see it?"

"I don't know for sure, but I imagine so," Link replied. "I have never been outside of my province, actually," he admitted.

"The Temple of Time stands at the eastern side of Castle Town," Hiei said. "It is plainly visible as you pass through the marketplace."

"Can we go inside, do you think?" the red-haired man asked, looking ahead as if to imagine what they might possibly find there.

"It may actually be a good idea to venture inside," Kurama suggested. "For now, I think we must simply focus on one goal at a time."

"Yeah, let's leave all that planning ahead crap to Kurama!" Yusuke said. "We should probably save this mountain volcano thing before it erupts."

"Point taken," Kurama replied.

With that, they continued their trek up the mountain path to the remains of what was once the great Goron City.

OoOo

Somewhere in the deep, darkness of the mountain's heart a tremor rumbled like some monstrous purr. Slithering sounds began, slowly at first, but then more vividly. Hot breath flew from large nostrils that sniffed the air in search of something.

_Not here… I cannot find it, Master! I will find the one who has taken it…_

Hissing jaws snapped somewhere in the dark threateningly.

…_and end him!_

The beast had awakened.

OoOo

**Word Count: 2,656**

**Wow, it has been a while indeed! I have wanted to continue this for so long, but I just couldn't find the time. I hope you guys enjoyed the ending scene! I threw it in there when I figured that nothing really exciting had happened in this chapter besides the telling of the Triforce Legend. **

**Zelda stuff…**

**Goron City: In Twilight Princess, the Gorons seem to have the most advanced technology of Hyrule, or understanding of mechanics I should say, having fashioned entire walls out of magnetic material and creating elevators. In Ocarina of Time, they don't have these things, but that moving jar… What makes it go? Also, it Skyward Sword, the Gorons seem to be scholars and very intelligent despite their appearance. And in Wind Waker, so many of the original tribes from the land below had either had to adapt or been destroyed… yet Gorons survived. The list goes on. **

**Kaepora Gaebora: The idea of him being a sage actually comes from the suggestion that this very owl is the form Rauru (Sage of Light) takes when he visits Link to guide him on his quest. The whole thing about sages gazing into the future? I just have to make stuff up to work with Zelda logic. I hope nobody minds. **

**Huh. Spryte didn't have any lines in this story. Well, what can I say? She's shy.**

**Next Chapter: The heroes arrive at the ruins of Goron City where they must find and enter the flaming mountain den. What is this foreboding feeling Kuwabara keeps getting? Could they be walking to certain doom? Find out in "The Gorons' Plight!"**


End file.
